By Donna Campbell Smith, February 2008
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The mule, perhaps better than any other animal, symbolizes North Carolina’s farming heritage. Known for its intelligence, strength and hardiness the mule was able to stand up to our hot and humid summers easier than the horse. Mule traders set up sale barns in towns across the state for buying and selling mules, making them an important part of the state’s economy. A hundred years ago, these businesses were as common as today’s used car lot. One of those towns, Benson, in Johnston County, has become famous for its mule trade. It still celebrates the mule’s contribution with one of the country’s largest Mule Days Festival. This event annually changes the small town into a boomtown for the last week of September, with people from all over the East coming with mules and horses to compete in rodeos, shows and other events.
We can thank George Washington for introducing the mule to America. Washington’s breeding program was aimed at producing a larger, stronger mule to be used on the farm. He imported donkeys from Spain, the first being a gift from King Charles III, to breed to his horses.
Washington was right in his belief that mules would be important to American agriculture. In fact, mules from Washington’s stock became the forerunners of quality mules that were the backbone of American agriculture for many generations of farmers, especially in the South.
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